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Major General Ricardo Stangher Quivira is the commander of the Chilean Army Logistics Division and currently serves as deputy commanding general of U.S. Army South, in San Antonio, Texas. During multinational exercise PANAMAX 2022, which was carried out, among other places, at Fort Sam Houston, headquarters of U.S. Army South, Maj. Gen. Stangher also served as deputy commanding general of…
PANAMAX 2022 is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored, multinational annual exercise with the aim of strengthening partnerships, enhancing readiness, and improving interoperability between the United States and partner nations’ armed forces. U.S. Army South hosted a big partion of PANAMAX, carried out August 1-12. Diálogo spoke with U.S. Army Major General William Thigpen, commanding general of U.S. Army South and commanding…
Brazilian Army Major General Rodrigo Ferraz Silva is the commander of the 12th Light Infantry Brigade (Airborne), which is a strategic brigade under the Brazilian Army Readiness Forces. In the multinational exercise PANAMAX 2022, Maj. Gen. Ferraz serves as the commander of the Combined Force Land Component Command or CFLCC. Diálogo: How does your real world experience contribute to your…
Born in Santander, Colombia, Brigadier General Hernando Garzón Rey is deputy commanding general for Interoperability at U.S. Army South, located at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. This U.S. military base is one of the main headquarters of multinational exercise PANAMAX 2022, in which Brig. Gen. Garzón also coordinates interoperability among all the forces of participating countries. Diálogo spoke…
Ecuadorian Army Colonel Rodrigo Peñaherrera serves on the Ecuadorian Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff as an Operations officer for Joint Task Force Esmeraldas. The force was created in early June 2022 to support the National Police in the fight against narcotrafficking in the province of Esmeraldas, on the border with Colombia. Col. Peñaherrera was sent to San Antonio, Texas,…
Paraguayan Navy Chief Petty Officer Lilian Soledad Avalos Dielma dedicated her 15 years of military service as a paramedic, combat nurse, and first aid instructor. Chief Petty Officer Avalos is the first Paraguayan noncommissioned officer (NCO) to serve as an instructor at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) at Fort Benning, Georgia, a role she held from 2019…
Admiral Alberto Alcalá Luna assumed command of the Peruvian Navy on August 3, 2021. Since then, his mission has beento ensure the defense of Peru’s seas, rivers,and lakes. Adm. Alcalá spoke with Diálogo about the Navy’s institutional advances in the fight against criminal organizations, illegal mining, as well as its technological advances, among other topics. Diálogo: How does the Navy…
The Brazilian Armed Forces’ Joint Peacekeeping Operations Training Center (CCOPAB) is recognized internationally for its excellence in training Brazilian and foreign military personnel who participate in United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping missions worldwide. CCOPAB also offers courses (called internships) for civilians from several areas, among which, the Internship for Journalists and Press Officers in Conflict Areas, the last of which was…
Leadership, discipline, and a fighting spirit are the qualities that make Peruvian Navy Lieutenant Lucía del Rosario Granda Ticona, deputy commander of the Maritime Patrol Vessel (MPV) BAP Río Tumbes, unique. She graduated from the Peruvian Naval School in 2012 and since then has directed her efforts to the professionalization of her naval specialty. Lt. Granda, who has 11 years…
Monitoring weather conditions to create a reliable forecast is part of her life. Warnings about thunderstorms, cloudy skies, and any other weather conditions are the day-to-day work of Peruvian Air Force Captain Cynthia Hidalgo Cárdenas, head of the Aeronautical Meteorology Directorate Forecasting Department. Together with her team, Capt. Hidalgo analyzes and evaluates meteorological phenomena and informs the Peruvian Armed Forces…
The inclusion of women in the Peruvian Army is a growing institutional trend. The military institution formally opened its doors to women in 1997, with the adoption of Law 26628 in 1996, allowing women to enter the Armed Forces’ training schools for officers and noncommissioned officers. Lieutenant Colonel Katherine Castillo Mormontoy, who graduated with the first class of women, is…
Peruvian Minister of Defense José Luis Gavidia Arrascue took office on February 1, 2022. As minister, his focus is on managing, coordinating, executing, and evaluating his country’s security and defense policy. Diálogo visited the Ministry of Defense in Lima to talk with Minister Gavidia about his defense policy and progress in the fight against crime. Diálogo: You said that “we…
